Greek American student, Andreas Giannitsopoulos, who was missing after the Champlain Towers South condo collapse near Miami, has been confirmed dead by authorities today.
“My son was the strongest person I know and the best part of my day. We had such plans for his future,” his mother, Tina Giannitsopoulos, told NBC News after authorities confirmed they had found her son.
She, other family members and friends were staying at a rental complex outside Miami while they waited to hear whether he had been found.
Rescue teams are working 12-hour shifts as they scour the wreckage in Surfside, near Miami. Source: Reuters.
Giannitsopoulos was studying Business Strategy and International Markets at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, but was staying with his godfather in Miami at the time of the building collapse.
According to NBC News and friends, Giannitsopoulos’ relatives got through the tense days before his death was confirmed by trading stories and jokes about him.
But then came word that authorities had found him. Before Tina Giannitsopoulos went to meet with detectives, she belted out a loud cry. It took a few minutes for her to regain her composure.
“I’m so proud of you Andreas, thanks for being the best boy in the world,” she said. “I know everybody says that, but he was truly gold.”
Greek shooter, Anna Korakaki, and artistic gymnast, Lefteris Petrounias, will lead the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremony of the Tokyo Olympics, the Hellenic Olympic Committee has announced.
The decision means the Greek team will have male and female flag bearers for the first time in Olympic history and reflects the International Olympic Committee’s calls for gender equality.
As the originator of the Olympics, the team representing Greece traditionally leads the Parade of Nations.
“The Hellenic Olympic Committee has given me a great honour and I want to thank it for choosing me. It will definitely be a unique feeling to hold the flag of your homeland at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in a historic moment, as I will do it together with Lefteris,” Korakaki said.
“I feel very honoured to hold our flag as it is a childhood dream come true. I also want to thank the Hellenic Olympic Committee and I’m sure that this moment will remain forever engraved in my mind and heart,” Petrounias added.
Korakaki represented Greece at the 2016 Summer Olympics, winning a gold medal in the 25m pistol and a bronze medal in the 10m air pistol.
Petrounias is the 2016 Olympic champion, three-time World champion (2015, 2017, 2018) and a six-time (2011, 2015-18, 2021) European medalist on the still rings (five gold and one bronze).
The Macquarie Greek Studies Foundation have announced this morning that Modern Greek Studies Major and Diploma programs will be offered again from 2022.
The Faculty’s recommendation to reinstate Modern Greek as Major and Diploma offerings was supported by the University’s Executive Group. The Faculty of Arts team will now be working on implementing the necessary formalities to activate these offerings for 2022.
Thus, from the academic year 2022, Macquarie University students or cross-institutional students will be able to study Modern Greek as a Major, Minor, Diploma, elective or non-award, on-campus in the new language labs or fully online.
Enrolments for 2022 are expected to start later this year. For more information, you can contact Dr Patricia Koromvokis, Head of Modern Greek Studies Macquarie University on: patricia.koromvokis@mq.edu.au.
The Committee of the Foundation would like to take this opportunity and express its gratitude to the Executive Leadership Team of the Faculty of Arts, the students association MUGA, the media, the Greek community Organisations, all the individuals, the Consulate General of Greece in Sydney and the Consulate General of Greece Education Office in Melbourne for the immense and ongoing moral and financial support.
Nick Kyrgios is through to the second round at Wimbledon after beating rising French star, Ugo Humbert, in five sets for the second time at a grand slam this year.
“Not too bad for a part time player,’’ Kyrgios said after securing the match 9-7 in the fifth set, referring to the few matches he has played in the past 18 months.
“It didn’t take me much to get me off the couch in Canberra, Australia. Wimbledon is one of my favourite events, it was an easy decision for me.”
Kyrgios’ second clash with the 23-year-old this season featured its fair share of drama.
The match resumed precariously poised at 3-all in the fifth set after Wimbledon’s 11pm curfew cut the match short on Thursday morning (AEST).
About 16 hours later, the pair resumed play. After four relatively routine holds from both players, Kyrgios pounced.
At 7-all, he forced three break points on Humbert’s serve. He took the third opportunity.
The 26-year-old saved two break points while serving for the match before claiming his first match point in typical Kyrgios style – with a big first serve down the middle.
But it was the slickness of the grass that almost cost Kyrgios the victory when, at 6-6 in the fifth set, he hurt his hip while doing the splits at the back of the court.
Kyrgios screamed in pain as he slipped on the court, but was able to resume the match. Credit: Getty Images.
After rolling around for a few seconds, Kyrgios resumed play but was initially hampered in his movements, relying instead on his lethal serve.
“I was always gonna get up and play with one leg, I was going to finish the match,” he said, before adding: “I am not the most flexible bloke so anytime my legs spread a little bit apart, its like ‘argh’, it was pretty brutal.”
One service game later, Kyrgios pounced on his first opportunity to break Humbert’s serve and didn’t look back.
Having beaten the 21st seed 6-4, 4-6, 3-6, 6-1, 9-7, Kyrgios’ portion of the draw has now opened up. He will play world No. 77 Gianluca Mager in the second round.
Helen’s story is one of resilience, perseverance and commitment even at the most difficult circumstances. A story of giving back to the community and a proof that hard work gets recognised and rewarded.
A proud Mytilenian from the village of Thermi on the island of Lesvos, Helen Patsikatheodorou is one of the 14 Greeks who were recently honoured in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list with a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for her service to the community of Hume.
“I came to Australia when I was 5, 61 years ago. Who would have thought! Nothing is impossible,” Helen tells The Greek Herald.
“This is a consolidation for me that all the volunteer hours that I have committed over my 45 years of service have actually meant something not only to me but my community.”
‘Pay it forward, make a difference’
Like many Greek migrants Helen’s family came to Australia in the 1960s with a suitcase and an undetermined motive to succeed and secure a better future for their children.
“My father came to Australia with no education and no money, but he had a lot of pride and determination. He came on the ‘Patris’ and landed in Melbourne. He saved enough money for my mother, sister and brother to come to Australia a year later,” Helen says.
“He knew no one, but some stranger took him under his wing, found him a place to stay and provided him with the opportunity to work. To say he worked hard is an understatement.”
The assistance offered to her dad in his early beginnings in the new home country, sparked Helen’s motivation to help others.
“He [her dad] not only established his own wealth, but he also educated his children and provided a better life for his family, one that he was proud of. That in itself deserves paying it forward and making a difference to someone else.
“There is always a need in every community and there are many different ways you can be involved; you just have to find your passion.”
The City of Hume’s ‘Pink Mayor’
In 2013, Helen was diagnosed with breast cancer but instead of slowing down she became fiercer while fighting her own battle.
“Both my mother and my maternal grandmother died of Breast Cancer. As a leader in the community, I am always looking at ways to make a difference. When I became Mayor for the second time in 2016, I wanted my second term to make a bigger difference.
“Realising that breast screening uptake for CALD (Culturally & Linguistically Diverse) communities was very low, I decided to use my mayoral year as an opportunity to advocate and promote breast screening to improve the health of our women. What better way to do this as a survivor of Breast Cancer? I made it my mantra to be known as the “Pink Mayor,” says Helen.
“In all my speeches I advocated that I would wear something pink every day of my Mayoral year so that all the men in Hume would encourage the women in their lives to get screened as no woman in Hume should die from Breast Cancer.”
The ‘Pink Mayor’ soon became an advocate for men’s health and has vowed to keep helping her community for as long as “her body will allow her to.”
“We are all vulnerable. We need one another”
Helen often expresses her pride for the legacy she will leave behind and wishes for the new generation to pick it up one day in order to change their communities for the better.
“We live in a community and we all need one another to survive. We don’t realise this until something bad happens to us. We are all vulnerable both rich and poor, educated and uneducated, newly arrived or settled.
“I hope that the new generation recognizes that they have benefited from my hard work and the hard work of others like me, to continue to pay it forward,” Helen says.
“I know my children are proud and I hope that when my grandchildren are old enough to understand, they would be just as proud of not only “Yiayia but Papou” as well and give back to the community.”
The joy of helping others
Asked her what her future plans are, Helen doesn’t hesitate to reply.
“I will continue to do what I do for as long as my community still wants me. I will continue to work full time for Maria Vamvakinou MP, the Federal Member for Calwell and continue my involvement for as long as I can.”
In a recent speech, Maria Vamvakinou said that “the strength of Helen’s contributions can’t be captured in a speech, nor can her impact on the many people whose lives and circumstances she has touched and continues to touch.”
Concluding our interview, Helen sets aside herself and her recognition to acknowledge her late husband, John Patsikatheodorou, who died unexpectedly three years ago.
“Without him, I may not have been able to do the things I did. He was my support and my rock and was known lovingly as the “Mayoress”.
“He was by my side at all my events, encouraging and supporting me. On many occasions, he was mistaken to be the Mayor, because he was the man. He shocked many men when he would say “my wife is the Mayor and I am the Mayoress”. My husband was a bigger community advocate and on many more committees,” Helen concludes.
Passion for social good, compassion, pride and courage. Community Heroes do exist. Thank you Helen!
A former Hells Angels member has been charged with domestic violence by a local court in Sydney’s south-west.
Peter Zervas, aged 44, has been charged with assault occasioning bodily harm by the Campbelltown Local Court in an incident that occurred between him and his 22-year old girlfriend last week.
The woman allegedly suffered a laceration above her eye in an altercation that took place while Zervas was driving a car, the Daily Telegraph reports.
Zervas was apprehended south-west of Sydney in Minto three days after the woman reported the incident to Campbelltown Police.
He was formally refused bail to reappear at the Campbeltown court on July 6.
Peter Zervas faced court earlier this year for charges relating to weapons offences after being busted for carrying an extendable baton in his “company car” around Sydney’s CBD.
Mr. Zarvas is known for playing a central role in the infamous brawl between the Hells Angels and the Comanchero gangs at Sydney Airport in 2009, which resulted in the death of his younger brother Anthony Zarvas.
Mr. Zarvas survived being shot six times in the car park of his home at Lakemba following the brawl.
He has had several run-ins with the law both as the perpetrator and victim, including the time his nose had to be re-attached after being partially bitten off by a man in 2014.
Maria Bakalidou is set to become the next President of the Greek Community of Melbourne’s (GCM) Language Schools next month.
“We are hopeful that her energy, passion, and enthusiasm for Greek language learning will allow the Community’s programs to continue to prosper in years ahead,” the GCM says.
Maria Bakalidou will oversee hundreds of students who attend the GCM’s language schools and will succeed Manos Tzimpragos after his septennial run was cut short by the Greek government.
Mr. Tzimpragos will permanently return to Greece after “the community’s efforts directed towards the Greek government to facilitate an extension of [his] tenure unfortunately did not bear fruit,” the GCM says, describing his departure as “unwelcome news”.
“He leaves behind a successful legacy where the Community expanded its programs and campuses, made a conscious effort to improve its teaching staff and professional development, and also modernise its curriculum,” the GCM says.
Mrs. Bakalidou began her tenure in the GCM’s language schools a year after she immigrated to Australia in 2012 following Greece’s debt crisis.
The Orestiada-born was promoted to President over the schools for her work and influence since then.
She currently coordinates the Victorian Certification of Education (VCE) programs and is credited as being “instrumental” in the facilitation of GCM’s two recent outer suburb campuses.
Nick Kyrgios is set to make his Olympic debut and has emerged in Wimbledon after a five-month hiatus to begin a tense match with Ugo Humbert.
Nick Kyrgios has been announced to headline tennis at next month’s Tokyo Games alongside 10 other players, including Australians Alex de Minaur and women’s world No. 1 Ash Barty.
The Canberran will join John Millman, James Duckworth, Sam Stosur, Ajla Tomljanovic, and a few others in July.
Kyrgios formerly withdrew from the Rio Summer Olympic Games in 2016 at the peak of his career as Australia’s No. 1 tennis player over a spat with the Games’ Chef de Mission Kitty Chiller.
“AOC’s unfair and unjust treatment of me over the last four weeks… has solidified my final decision,” Kyrgios said at the time.
Nick Kyrgios also beat French No. 21 Ugo Humbert 3-3 in the fifth set before play was suspended by a tournament referee because of an 11pm curfew.
The match will resume 11pm tonight AEST.
Kyrgios hasn’t played for nearly half the year since the Australian Open, where he beat Humbert in a five-set thriller, but that didn’t deter his confidence.
“I know for a fact that no one here wanted to play me first-round and I feel completely confident going into this match,” Kyrgios told reporters.
“I’m not saying that I’m the favourite, but I know how to play on grass.”
New figures released by Our World In Data illuminates the stark reality of Australia’s COVID-19 vaccination rollout and begs the question: why are we so far behind?
Greece is among several other countries outperforming Australia’s fledging COVID-19 vaccination program, new figures from Our World In Data (OWID) shows.
Greece currently ranks 35th in the world in the OWID’s list of doses administered, with 33.91% of its population vaccinated
Greece has fully vaccinated 34.2% of its population, putting itself in the 10th place of a list of countries ranked by their share of the population.
Australia sits in 40th place in the worldwide rank of developed and developing countries with just 4.8% of its population fully vaccinated.
In Greece, 34.45% of the population have received both doses, while 10.92% are awaiting their second (as of the 27 June, OWID data).
So far more than 7.3 million doses have been administered across Australia – but the health authorities don’t release the age, gender, or location of fully vaccinated Australians, or how many of whom have received both doses.
Greece has a population of over 10.7 million. In comparison, Australia has a population of 25.6 million. Australia’s population is more than double the size of Greece’s population and the country is relying on a solid vaccination program to save further economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic and assist economic recovery.
Greece places dead centre in a rank comparing the number of doses administered in 32 European countries, but isn’t far off it’s counterparts Portugal, Lithuania, and Italy.
Vaccine hesitancy is rife in both countries, experts say.
Greece is combating the hesitancy by offering incentives and rewards for those who make the switch to receive the jab, while Australia’s vaccine program has been mired by narrow supply and mixed messaging.
Three billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered worldwide.
The Greek government has promised that all those who receive the COVID-19 vaccination will have greater access to indoor venues without having to wear a face mask.
Venue operators will be allowed to raise their capacity when they decide to open exclusively to those who have received the jab, as part of the government’s two-tier system for entertainment venues.
Indoor restaurants, cafes, theatres and cinemas will enjoy a 35% raise in capacity, enjoying an 85% capacity cap for customers who are vaccinated and a 50% capacity when open to those who aren’t.
Greek venues have had to push their customers outside (Source: Insider)
Greece has administered 8,202,338 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine as of 29 June. Reuters estimates that the doses cover 38.3 per cent of the country’s population when assuming that those administered the shot have received both their first and second shots.
The Greek government estimates that 48 per cent of the population will be vaccinated by the end of next month.
